


Destiny is Calling Me, Open Up My Eager Eyes, Cause I'm Mr. Brightside

by Velocity_Owl87



Series: Luke Skywalker and the First Order [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alpha Armitage Hux, Alpha Poe Dameron, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Injury, Introspection, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega Luke Skywalker, Polyamory, Recovery, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Torture, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-11 14:04:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13525830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velocity_Owl87/pseuds/Velocity_Owl87
Summary: Sequel to "I Don't Want Your Body, But I Hate That You're With Someone Else".Luke has escaped, leaving Hux to make a decision: To follow or to stay in the First Order and follow his childhood dreams and ideals through? His mind is made up after being tortured by an increasingly unstable Kylo Ren and realising how much Luke and his children mean to him.He defects, bringing much needed intel, credits, and supplies.What he didn't expect was for Luke to have developed feelings for Alpha Poe Dameron, throwing all of them into a complicated situation none of them ever thought they'd find themselves in.





	1. There's a Change That's Coming Through

**Author's Note:**

> Direct sequel, so you do need to read the first one to get the background, since this follows the events set out in the first story.   
> The Resistance is still going, but Luke is back and with Hux coming into the picture, there's more goods, codes, and credits.   
> Kylo Ren is still the woooorst.  
> Proofed, but if mistakes show up, they will be edited.

Poe was half listening to BB’s random chatter as he wiped down his X-Wing when  _ he  _ arrived. 

He really didn’t need to be there, doing the menial task of cleaning his ship, but he had a need to ground himself. The last skirmish against a squadron of Tie fighters had left him a bit more shaken than usual. They had only lost one fighter, which was a lucky thing. 

Yet the loss was still a painful one to take when the Resistance wasn’t the same large and hopeful fighting force that they had started with when the First Order reared its head. They had lost ships, planets and personnel.

The loss that made it even bleaker and much more personal was the disappearance of Luke Skywalker. No one knew exactly what had taken place once he had made the decision to confront his nephew and possibly stop a new galactic war from taking place. He was simply gone and the Resistance kept soldiering on, shouldering their losses in an effort to end the threat of the first order.

But the skirmishes were taking their toll on them. Supplies were starting to get low as were the fighters who would do the actual battle. So until another recruit was found competent enough, Poe and his remaining squadron were grounded as they gathered up all of their supplies and allies and despite needing the rush of war, Poe was secretly grateful for the interlude. 

The last skirmish hadn’t sat well with him, aggravating an earlier trauma that he didn’t want to look at too closely. 

Everyone else was nursing some kind of wound, be it mental or physical. He wasn’t special. He was a Resistance fighter and he was like every other Alpha and Beta flier. His trauma would be dealt with, he had promised himself. Once the war was over. 

Besides, it wasn’t as if he had lost his sibling. Or mate.

Like General Organa, for example.

The General wasn’t saying much of anything, but the double blow of losing her mate and her brother was starting to wear on her. It was a faint thing, but Poe could see it. Deeper lines around her eyes and mouth had shown up and she sometimes would have a distracted look to her. 

As if she was very carefully listening to something that no one else could hear. Like a melody only she can recall and only she is waiting to hear again.

Poe suspected that she was looking for her brother in the Force, but as the lines on her face deepened, he knew that she had no luck. She hadn’t made an official announcement about Luke Skywalker. No one pressed her for one, waiting for her to decide what course of action would be the best to take.

The idea of Luke Skywalker dying somewhere in the Galaxy, far away from General Organa and the New Republic didn’t sit well with Poe. Nor did the idea of him being held by the First Order, which was a rumour that was circulating heavily of late as evidenced by Admiral Hux disappearing from Kylo Ren’s side and a brief appearance of whom someone believed to be Luke Skywalker at his side. 

But the rumors were as substantial as smoke and blew away in the wind when probed. No one else had any sign of the Jedi and with the length of time that has passed, it was beginning to look as if he had passed on.

Poe was one of the few that held out hope that wasn’t the case. He didn’t want to believe that the kind hearted Luke would have ceased to exist. That he had already joined the Force that he often referenced and had gone without so much as a whimper. The idea of never seeing Luke Skywalker’s kind face again made a painful ache in his chest. 

He nearly gasped at the intensity of it and the way that it brought tears to his eyes. He didn't’ understand why he was feeling so strongly about the idea. He wasn’t Skywalker’s contemporary. Not how his own parents had been. He only remembered Luke as being the kind and somewhat mysterious Omega that would humour him and talk to him with the same kindness and gravitas as he would use with other adults.

Poe didn’t have that many clear memories of Luke Skywalker, but the precious few that he did have, he always treasured. He didn’t speak of them and he was unsure if the General herself was aware of the visits her brother had made to his family. She didn’t speak of her brother to him other than a mission. So he kept quiet and continued on doing his best to locate him.

Or his body.

His grip tightened on the rag that was he was using, only noticing when water started to stream down his hand. He threw it into the bucket and reached for another rag, shaking his head ruefully at BB’s scolding as he dried his hands and also threw it to the side.

“I know. I know. You’re right, Beebee. I’ll go get some food and go to bed. I hear you.”

Poe groused back good naturedly as he cleaned up around his fighter. He dumped out the dirty water and scrubbed his own hands clean at the beat up utility sink before heading back and putting his supplies away. He had just locked the metal chest of drawers when the hangar bay opened up.

There is a flurry of action and Poe himself grabs his own blaster while the hangar clears, guns pointing to the non-descript ship that has just arrived. Despite Poe’s logical mind telling him that the ship wouldn’t have entered the base without clearance, he still aimed his blaster at the ship’s doors. 

Bee bee Ate chirped and moved closer to Poe, his head spinning as he focused on the doors that his master was aiming at. Poe smiled down at his little droid. He wasn’t quite sure what he was facing, but as long as he had Bee Bee Ate beside him, he was sure it would turn out well.

He took a deep breath and waited like everyone else, to see what the doors would reveal once they opened. 

He sincerely hoped that they hadn’t signed their own death warrants and sent out a quiet murmur to the Force, his parents, whoever it was that was listening that it wasn’t the case.

The hydraulics of the ship’s doors hissed and opened with jerky, shuddering movements. That made Poe and some of the others relax a fraction. They knew what the First Order was spending in armaments. Surely they wouldn’t have stooped so low when they felt they had the rebels on the ropes. 

The doors opened up to reveal a man that made a collective gasp and murmurs of surprise break out when Luke Skywalker, albeit a much  _ younger _ version walked out. 

Poe inhaled sharply as his memories collided with the image in front of him. It was Luke. There was no doubt about it. No clone could replicate that exact intelligent and still open expression. Nor could they replicate the fluid movements of the man as he walked down the ramp, two tightly wrapped bundles cradled in his arms.

It was the subtle tightening of his grip around the bundles and the softening of his expression that made Poe put his blaster away and be the first to welcome him to the base. Bee bee moved to follow, but Poe waved his hand to keep him in the same spot. He knew Luke had his own droids, but with how wound up he seemed, Poe felt it would be better if he was the only one to talk to Skywalker.

He didn’t understand the impulse to do so, rather than wait for the General or any of the high command. All he knew was that he had to be the one to welcome him to the base and reassure himself that yes, this was the same Luke Skywalker from his childhood memories.

“Commander Skywalker? It’s Poe. Poe Dameron. Welcome back.”

Luke’s icy blue eyes widened as he took in who it was that was addressing him. The sharpness went out and his face softened into that indulgent expression that Poe remembered all too well. 

“Poe? Little Poe?”

He laughed softly then, making Poe flush at being called that. He hadn’t been a boy in a very long time. He was all too aware that  Luke was older than he looked and remembered Poe being a young child, it still made him awkward and flustered at being reminded of that fact. Luke only raised an eyebrow at that, making Poe wonder if he had projected his feelings. 

Luke shook his head and lifted his head to look over Poe’s shoulder. Poe turned around and understood Luke’s action. 

The General had arrived to welcome her brother.

Her expression was the cool neutral mask of a politician, studying Luke as Poe nervously stood aside, not sure if he should completely move away and give them some semblance of privacy in that deathly still and quiet hangar. He didn’t move, just stayed still and waited as Luke and Leia continued what felt like a silent conversation that was only broken by the soft whine of a hungry kit. 

Luke looked down at the child on his left side, murmuring something to calm it before looking up at his sister. 

“We’ll continue this later, little brother. You need to feed your kits before anything else. Come.”

She turned and looked at Poe. 

“Dameron, if you’d be so kind as to come as an escort for Commander Skywalker, it would be greatly appreciated.”

Poe blinked, but snapped to attention and fell in step with Skywalker, who walked along quietly beside him. 

If he was put off by the cool reception from his sister, he hid it well. His expression was calm and collected and Poe had to again marvel at the quiet strength of him. 

He slid his eyes away from Luke when he noted the other man had noticed Poe’s scrutiny. He didn’t deserve the suspicion, but everyone was all too aware that he had been in the hold of the FIrst Order for nearly a year. To have him show up again, unannounced and with two kits that he had clearly whelped clearly raised suspicions as to how he had found his way out. 

As well as whose kits he was the dam to. 

Not to mention the most jarring aspect of it all: How exactly did he end up looking like he did when he had helped destroy the Empire at least forty years back. 

All of those questions needed to be addressed and soon.

The very survival of the Resistance may very well depend on what answers Skywalker would give. 

In the meantime, he walked with Luke behind General Organa, pausing only when she stopped in front of empty quarters. 

“I hope these are adequate for the time being. I’ll get you supplies to see you through. In the meantime, Commander Dameron will remain with you.”

Both Poe and Luke looked at the General after that announcement, Poe with surprise and Luke with a muted look of hurt and resignation.

“I have an emergency meeting at this moment. When things have settled, you will be summoned. The supplies will be delivered shortly.”

It was all said in a matter of fact tone, but it made Luke wince all the same and Poe wish that he was anywhere else but there at that moment. 

“Thank you, Leia.”

She sighed at that. 

“Believe me, Luke. This isn’t how I thought it would go.”

Luke gave her a faint smile. 

“I understand.”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but changed her mind at the last minute. 

“I’ll try to make it fast. Now by your leave, Commander Skywalker. Dameron.”

They both nodded as she put her General mask back on and left them in the room, no doubt locking the door behind her as she exited. 

Poe and Luke stood looking at each other for a few moments after that before Luke handed off one of his kits to Poe.

He took the small bundle awkwardly, cradling the kit into his chest as he watched Luke move further into the quarters and gratefully sink into a beat up, but comfortable looking chair. Poe followed with alacrity, not quite sure what to do with the kit in his arm that he carried as if it was a small Tooka, afraid of dropping it or harming it in any way. 

Luke laughed quietly as he saw Poe’s fear clear on his face as he settled into the other chair and carefully placed the child on his lap, still keeping careful hold on him by bracketing the small body between his hands. 

“You’re doing well. I’ll take Owen in a bit. I need to feed Anakin. And if I don’t, he’ll wake Owen and it won’t be pretty.”

Poe’s jaw worked at the names that Luke had chosen for his children, watching as Luke swiftly unbuttoned the plain beige shirt he was wearing and reached inside, pulling aside bandages. It was then that Poe averted his eyes and looked down at Owen.

He wasn’t fast enough and caught sight of both a swollen bit of chest and rough, marked up looking skin that showed he had collar around his neck at some point and only just recently gotten it off. He winced inwardly at the sight. It would explain why there had been no real sign of Luke until just before he arrived. 

He also had to wonder whether the kits had been conceived while Luke had been cut off from the Force and rendered helpless. Was he holding the product of a forced mating?

Poe swallowed hard and looked down. The kit was sleeping deeply, giving Poe time to really look at him. 

He noticed that the child’s face was looking quite a bit like some of the holos he had seen of Padme Amidala. The soft curve of her cheek and her lower lip were evident. He had seen them before, he realised. He had seen them in Luke’s bone structure. Even the kits’ soft fuzz of hair was a honey blonde with only a faint tinge of another colour that could have been light brown or dark copper.

He looked up and met Luke’s eyes, which were fixed steadily on him. The kit was hidden under Luke’s shirt and Poe felt his face heat up somewhat at the sight. Yes, he had been around nursing Omegas before, but none of them were  _ Luke _ .

“They don’t look like their sire, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Luke whispered, making Poe’s face heat up even more.

“A blessing really. I don’t think that the Resistance would show much mercy if they looked like him.”

His eyes narrowed a bit before he laughed quietly and humorlessly when he noticed Poe’s stricken expression.

“It was...consensual, if you were wondering. Not that it’s your business, but it will come out eventually. I know how news travels in a small base.”

Poe snorted at that, making Luke smile lopsidedly.

“Yeah, it hasn’t changed since you were here.”

He cleared his throat before he continued, making Luke sigh heavily.

“Can I ask you to hold off any more questions for right now? I promise I’ll tell you everything before Leia comes back. I just need some breathing room to center myself now that I’m free of everything that I was a captive of for a year. Can you do that for me?”

Poe nodded without hesitation. 

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“I know. I am too. You’re a pilot. This isn’t where you should be.”

Poe shrugged. “There are worse places I could be. Other than the awkward tension, it’s fine.”

Luke shot him a glare before huffing out a soft laugh. 

“You’re indeed your parent’s son, Poe Dameron.”

He watched as Poe’s face softened, then glowed with pride at the mention of them. It had been an impulsive gesture borne out of the pleasant surprise at seeing that small glimpse of his long departed friends. He missed Shara and Kes. Seeing them come alive in their son was like getting a piece of them back and balm to his battered soul.

A balm that made his burdens lighter just a bit as he took in those liquid coffee eyes and tried to not get too mesmerised in them.


	2. I'll Tell You My Sins and You Can Sharpen Your Knife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux has his day of reckoning with Kylo Ren and the outcomes pushes him to make a decision in regards to his future.
> 
> Luke realises and vocalises some truths to Poe Dameron right before another curveball is thrown in their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters won't be utterly linear and will jump forward and backwards as the storyline sees fit, since the story won't take place in just a set period of time. There is a bit of torture in this chapter and injuries, but nothing super graphic.   
> Proofed, but if mistakes occur, they will be fixed later.   
> Title is from "Take Me To Church" for this chapter. Many thanks to Captain_Kiri_Storm for helping to figure out the fine points of this.

Hux stood at ease in front of Kylo Ren, his face blank as he waited to be addressed. 

He was well aware why he had been called into Kylo Ren’s spartan rooms. 

He had watched his ship depart about several month cycles ago and he had never forgotten the day. He hadn’t ever suspected that their gamble would have been successful, but as he returned to his duties, the day cycles had bled into each other he had to assume it was. It was more time than he had ever expected to give his Omega and it was worked. Luke and his kits were away from Kylo Ren’s grasp and hopefully safe. If he was lucky, he’d hopefully have made it to a rebellion base. 

He hoped that this was the case. 

Even if it meant never seeing his mate or offspring ever again.

He had found himself wincing whenever he thought about that possibility, the burning pain that accompanied it making him both sad and annoyed at himself. He wasn’t some lovesick kit in the throes of his first rut. He was an adult with adult responsibilities. He had absolutely no time to be giving into those weaknesses.

But there he was, trying to not think about Owen and Anakin and Luke. 

He had believed that he had been ready for that, after all the threatening gestures that Kylo Ren had made towards the kits. That it was the best thing to do due to Luke having no contact with the Force and no way to come at Kylo Ren if the worst were to happen. Hux honestly thought he’d be able to pick up all of the pieces of his life and continue as if the past year had just been some kind of setback. 

He should have been able to do it

Yet he found that the thinner the bond stretched between himself and Luke, the more anxious to return to his side and the side of the kits Hux became. He couldn’t have made Luke stay with the First Order and cut off from the one thing that sustained him. He had recalled the expression of pure happiness when Hux had pressed the keychip to his collar in his hands and had known it was the right choice. Nor could he demand the kits and make them grow up into a similar dull and regimented existence that had been his sentence till he had made it out. 

Hux now found himself toying with the possibility of doing the unthinkable and defect from the Order. All due to an Omega and a bond. His father, kriff him to hell, had been right. An Omega would be the ruin of him if he wasn’t careful. 

Yet the thought didn’t enrage him as it once may have done. He had accepted it and had been preparing accordingly the moment that he had felt the kits moving under his hand while Luke slept. It was all ready for him to activate and put in motion.

Yet he didn’t want to believe it just yet. He wanted to keep the illusion that there was still an out. That he was still in charge of his destiny and that it was in the First Order. He made it a mantra of sorts as he squared his shoulders and waited for Supreme Leader Kylo Ren to speak. 

Kylo Ren only paced in front of Hux, his movements stiff, as if they were reining in just barely unstoppable rage. The quiet kind that they all had learned to fear. Tantrums, at least were loud, but safer. Yes, it was annoying to file reports, but at least the storm passed relatively quickly.

It was the silent pacing that worried the rest of the First Order. 

Those sessions left people either dead, or in Medical with severe injuries and trauma. Sure, they had come back, but more people flinched and lived in a state of fear so bad that even simple tasks had to be abandoned whenever Kylo Ren showed up on the bridge. 

It had taken all of his and Mitaka’s diplomatic efforts to convince him that it was best he stayed in his quarters and they would give him the reports. So far, it had worked and Hux was pleased they had averted disaster. 

The Knights of Ren had proven themselves to be useful in that endeavour as well, requiring more or Kylo Ren’s attention and leaving the day to day business to Mitaka, himself, Phasma and a few other trusted officers. Things had gone fairly well and Hux had firmly believed they would continue that way. 

Yet as he had received the summons, he had been hit with a pang of foreboding. He should have expected it. Things had been  _ too _ quiet on all fronts. Of course it was bound to happen. When had things stayed stable in his life? Not very often.

If anything went wrong, he’d be on his own and he wouldn’t put it past Kylo to block all communications and leave him writhing in agony until he saw fit to get him to medical. He sincerely hoped that Mitaka had seen him leave and be on alert. There was nothing good that would come out of this meeting. Not with Luke Skywalker and his offspring half a galaxy away in kriff knew where.

Hux knew all of this, yet he stayed still and waited until he was addressed. No point in rushing his demise.

“Any new developments?”

Kylo asked, his voice even and quiet as he spoke.

“Not since the last report, Supreme Leader.”

Hux replied respectfully, wondering what this was all leading up to.

“Good. I expect regular updates on that situation.”

He stopped his pacing and stopped in front of Hux with his eyes fixed upon Hux’s face.

“Just like I expect regular updates on how many Omegas are on my ship. Tell me Hux, where is Skywalker? And your heirs?”

Hux’s breathing stuttered for a bit.

“They are well and safe. In Arkanis.”

It was a flat out lie, but he was willing to take that shot. They  _ could _ be, as far as he knew.

Kylo stood there for a few moments, contemplating the reply that Hux had given him before he raised his hand and lashed out. 

Despite expecting it, it still took Hux by surprise when he was slammed against the durasteel and plastisteel in the room. He only had enough time to catch his breath before he was slammed against a pillar. He heard something crack and his shoulder and arm were suddenly on fire. 

The pain was blinding and he could only lie there for several moments, stunned and gasping with it. He could feel tears pouring from the corners of his eyes and his mouth worked as he tried to compartmentalise the pain to get up and  _ run. _ He wasn’t stupid nor arrogant enough to assume that he’d be able to take on Kylo. Discretion was the better part of valour, so he was going to employ that common sense and go.

It was that preoccupation that prevented him from seeing the blow that smashed his nose, making his vision explode in whiteness and in agony. He was surely dead. He had to be. Everything was on fire and everything hurt so damned much. 

“That was the wrong answer, Commander. I know they’re not in Arkanis. Now again: Where is Skywalker and your heirs?”

Hux spat out blood and tried to curl up to cradle his injuries and ease the pain. His mind was too busy dealing with the pain, trying to minimize it to flee, but he found he couldn’t move and had his back pinned to the floor. He was on his back and fear surged up at being so exposed to Kylo Ren. His eyes widened as Kylo knelt in front of him, his eyes black hollows in his face as he tilted Hux’s battered and bloody face up. 

“Corellia.”

Kylo’s eyes flashed at that and two of his fingers snapped, making him howl this time. 

“ _ WHERE ARE THEY _ ?”

It was a wall of sound, that command, leaving Hux feeling as if he was drowning in pure molten rage, all of it stripping his skin to the bone. The pain licked at all his nerve endings, sending him in paroxysms of pain down his entire body, making him feel like he was trapped in a neverending torment. 

He had to focus harder than he ever had in his life to be able to even give the slightest bit of an answer and hope that the torture would stop. 

“Far from here. That’s all I know.”

Hux got out in a clogged voice. Kylo snorted and waved his hand, breaking the rest of his fingers and leaving him broken and bloodied and keening quietly.

“Thank you for deciding to be honest. We wouldn’t be in this situation if you only had chosen it from the beginning. Consider yourself lucky that the First Order needs you.  _ Or else you’d be dead.” _

The last was hissed and Hux only closed his eyes. He knew exactly how lucky he was.

He also knew how right he had been to have taken all the necessary steps to keep Luke and the kits away from Kylo Ren and to provide an exit for himself. 

The First Order wasn’t where he belonged anymore. He could see that all too clearly now. He had to leave and burn all of his bridges behind him.

He heard Kylo give some commands as he walked away, his voice indistinct to Hux as he fought to keep conscious in case Kylo Ren did change his mind and decided to put him out of his misery again. Yet nothing happened and he did cry out of relief that it was done. 

He heard the footsteps fade and he had to smile in his agony. Kylo Ren was sure consistent when it came to cutting out and leaving someone else to clean his mess. He shifted so that he could reach his comm and tapped it, thanking his intuition to have moved Mitaka’s number up to the first dial position. 

“Hux?”

Hux swallowed blood before he replied.

“Yes.”

Mitaka swore quietly and Hux had to wonder exactly how bad he sounded.

“Don’t pass out. I’m on my way with a Medic unit. Just hold on.”

He cut off the call and Hux turned, groaning as he was able to get on his side and finally curl up and clutch his hand to his chest. 

Mitaka was good as his word, the Medic Unit arriving fast and pumping him full of pain meds and dulling the initial triage and transport to the Medical Bay.

Hux wasn’t sure exactly when he passed out. Only that the next thing he was aware of was the somewhat dimmed sodium lights above his head and the grave face of Mitaka watching him.

“How long was I out?”

He rasped out, wincing at the pain still in his side. What the hell? He looked down and gaped in surprise at seeing his arm and his fingers in a plastisteel cast that was tightly wrapped against his chest. 

“Two day cycles. The Supreme Leader was clear that you not receive Bacta for the wounds. I’m sorry, Hux.”

Mitaka apologised in a neutral tone. Hux understood. Of course he was going to have to endure the reminder of his failures. It wasn’t a big surprise that Kylo Ren would give such an order out. 

“I guessed as much. Any new developments while I was out?”

Mitaka pulled out his datapad.

“The Supreme Leader has left on another mission with the Knights of Ren. There was a report of Force user and Resistance activity in the Outer Rim.”

Hux nodded and held out his free hand for the datapad, quickly reading the details and committing them to memory.

“I trust that everything will be in good order?”

He asks Mitaka as he slowly and carefully gets out of bed. He winced at the protests his ribs are making at the moment, but still forced himself to stand up and not lean back against the bed. 

Once he’s standing, he gives Mitaka the datapad back.

Mitaka took his and pursed his lips, pausing before finally nodding.

“Alright. How long do I have?”

Mitaka chewed on his bottom lip as he weighed his answer. “Six day cycles.”

Hux nodded. 

It would be enough time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Poe winced when Anakin grabbed his fingers and shoved them into his mouth and gnawed on them, making Luke laugh at the intense look of concentration on his kit’s face.  The tooka, Elie, purred contentedly from the nest she had made on the chair Luke had used for nursing the twins. He didn’t have need of it anymore, but he kept it in his quarters due to Elie having claimed it for her own.

“Anakin, buddy, why do you like my fingers? You have a teething ring.”

Poe asked the kit as he smoothed down the coppery brown wisps of hair on his head. Anakin stopped his gnawing to turn and give Poe a thoughtful look before he continued.

Luke felt the same warm rush of love that he always felt whenever he watched Poe interact with his kit. He loved watching the serious way that they would regard each other, liquid coffee eyes meeting the bright blue that Luke had come to realize came from  _ his _ own father, the original Anakin Skywalker.  He had realized it after the first time that Poe had held Anakin and had exclaimed over the shade, his own dark brown and hazel flecked eyes crinkling with amusement when he did so.

“His eyes are changing! Luke, did you notice?”

He had asked, bringing a confused Anakin closer for Luke’s inspection.

“Really? No. I haven’t. I just assumed they would stay like Owen’s.”

Luke replied as he examined Anakin, much to Owen’s displeasure. Out of the two, Owen was much more clingy, needing to be closer to his damn than his older brother. Anakin had taken a shine to Poe right from the beginning, not crying loudly as Owen had done the moment that he had woken up and seen Poe’s face. Luke hadn’t wasted a moment and had switched out children, hoping that Anakin wouldn’t get fussy and add to the awkwardness.

He had somehow understood that Poe was good, and had simply settled for staring at him, a habit that he never really dropped. Poe, for his part, had bonded with Anakin, as was evident from the subtle scenting he did then. And whenever he had come back from an arduous mission afterwards.

Luke had noticed that Anakin scented like warm, strong caf with hints of citrus along with his own sandalwood in what seemed like no time. In fact, Luke was sure that the scent had permeated not just Anakin and his clothes, but  _ his _ own. And maybe he should have minded just a bit that Hux’s scent was getting drowned out, but he found that he wasn’t ready to even go there just yet.

He had refused to even contemplate what complications that could create. Hux wouldn’t follow them. Even though he ha sacrificed so much to get them out, he was born and bred in the First Order mentality and he knew that was it was something not easily shaken off. 

Even if it meant never seeing his mate or offspring for the rest of his life.

And Poe was the opposite of that and most important of all, he was  _ here.  _ With Luke and Anakin and Owen. And he was both kind and warm and had eyes that reminded Luke of the darkest, richest caf and a fleeting sense of cinnamon and the memory of another set of similar eyes smiling at him in warmth and companionship. 

He was mated to Hux, but could barely recall the colour of  _ his _ eyes. Luke knew he was in trouble, but exactly how deep...

His lips pursed and he let the thoughts go into the Force. Until he actually needed to face the issue, he’d not over worry over it. Besides, he knew exactly how lucky he was that he’d gambled right and Poe had accepted the kits, rather than tear them to shreds and force a mating on him. He had seen the looks other Alphas had given him and then the pups whenever he moved around the base. There hadn’t been a day that had gone by that he’d not thanked Leia for posting Poe as his guard slash potential mate.

He wasn’t that naive. But he’d never say that to his headstrong sister.

He’d learned to pick his battles.

“His gums are itching and I think he senses you’ll let him do it. Unlike Rey.”

Luke deadpanned, making Poe snort in remembered amusement at Rey’s utter horror when she was holding Owen and he had spit up all over her lap. Leia had only arched an eyebrow and grabbed the kit, letting Rey get away. After that, she’d stayed a respectful distance from them after they had eaten. 

“Yeah. That’s true.”

Poe murmured, not wanting to startle Owen, who was happily gnawing on a teething ring while Luke held him on his lap. He kissed the top of the coppery head, Owen being a bit more ginger than his brother and resumed scrolling through specs. He would need to be up in the air soon, the Resistance needing all their fighters for a decisive attack on the First Order. 

“Are you nervous?”

Poe looked at Luke, who was staring at him intently, his blue eyes sharp and heavy with some unspecified need Poe couldn’t figure out.

“Always. We didn’t come out so hot last time. We can’t get it wrong this time.”

Poe replied, making Luke chew on his bottom lip as he looked down at the specs and pushed them away.

“I know. It’s was like that in Yavin IV.”

Luke murmured, abruptly standing up and carefully laying Owen into his crib. He made some small noises and Poe wondered if there was a sleep suggestion pushed onto the kit, since he didn’t fuss and Anakin felt heavier all of the sudden.

He watched Luke pick up his second kit and put him in the same cot as his brother, tucking him in tenderly before turning to Poe with those terribly bright eyes of his that told everything and said nothing at the same time. 

They were standing close enough that Poe could feel the heat coming from Luke, could smell the fresh scent of sandalwood and sand coming off of him. There was a faint note of lemon and salt, but it was so muted that it was nearly negligible. 

“There was a friend there. From home. I didn’t get a chance to really say anything to him before we were off and he uhm...He died.”

Luke spoke matter of factly, but there was a small undertone of grief and regret in the words that made Poe reach out and put his hands on Luke’s slender shoulders.

“I promised myself if I was ever in that situation, I’d not make the same mistake.”

He looked straight on at Poe, who felt his mouth go dry in anticipation. 

“I care about you, Poe Dameron. Force help me, but I do. Possibly more than I should, but I do.”

Poe opened his mouth to reply, but didn’t get the chance to since he found himself kissing Luke Skywalker and his brain melted at the feel and taste of him.

His kisses weren’t practiced, but they were honest and Poe pulled him closer, so that they were flush against each other. He coaxed Luke to open up to taste him, making the other man moan and wrap his arms around Poe’s neck to hold himself upright. 

_ “Commanders Dameron and Skywalker, report to the hangar. Your assistance is needed.” _

They pulled apart reluctantly, with Luke laughing quietly as they did. 

“At least we got that.”

Poe blinked as he ran his thumb across his swollen lip, making Luke bite his own lip. 

“Let’s get this sorted out, then we continue this.”

Poe grinned. “Agreed.”

They went down to the hangar after Luke had entrusted Beebee Ate to look after the twins. The little droid had agreed and stayed on guard, which relieved Luke greatly. 

He had been getting slight flashes from the Force the whole week and if it meant that something was going to threaten his kits, he wasn’t going to take any chances. Beebee Ate was more than enough to guard the kits. Despite being in the Resistance and having Poe more or less as his guard, he knew what the rumours were. Especially after the kits’ hair had turned out coppery.

Everyone knew who had that colour of hair and despite being the hope of the Resistance, the rumours continued. 

He wasn’t naive. He knew that if Poe hadn’t taken a liking to him and he to Poe, things would be much worse.

Sighing, he pushed the thoughts away and focused on the task at hand.

A task that came in the form of a sleek First One fighter, a cargo barge, and a battered Armitage Hux.

“ _ Oh _ .”


	3. A Change of Scenery is What I Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux has to negotiate not just the terms of his defection, but also his feelings towards a mate that is his no longer. While Luke himself is trying to find his way through his own complicated feelings towards Hux and Poe Dameron, a situation made even more complicated by Luke's sudden heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has more complications between Hux and Luke and Poe. They will eventually iron them out, but Hux needs to deal with the Resistance first and Luke has to figure out if there is something salvageable between them.  
> Title is from Val Emmich's "Change of Scenery". Proofed, but if mistakes appear, they will be fixed later.

Hux found himself in a small and just adequately furnished room: A table, two chairs, a small bed with a few blankets and a counter that had ration bars and a decrepit tea kettle with a battered tin of tea beside it. Hux only raised an eyebrow when he saw the items, but said nothing as he gratefully sat down on the bed and leaned against the durasteel wall. He winced at the coldness and hardness of it and jammed the pillows on the bed behind his back.

Much better. Especially since he didn’t know how long he would be waiting for either General Organa or Luke to come to him. 

At the thought of Luke, his good hand clenched and unclenched as he fought to keep calm and not let his baser instincts get the better of him. It took him awhile, but he managed to get his self-possession back and not think about his mate. Hux was well aware that if he let his mind linger upon Luke, he’d put himself into a frenzy and be utterly useless when he would meet General Organa and hammer out some sort of agreement acceptable to both of them.

He couldn’t afford to waste the time. Kylo Ren would find out soon enough what had happened to one of his dreadnoughts, supplies, and credits.He also risked the spy network he had so carefully crafted with the help of Sloane and Mitaka and that was the last thing that he wanted to do. He couldn’t risk those loyal followers to a madman that was only  _ just  _ clinging to sanity. No. He’d have to play his cards right or else he’d end up with nothing and quite possibly in front of a tribunal and out an airlock.

Yet it was an almost impossible task even for someone used to controlling himself to an almost intolerable degree. Luke was his. That was all he knew. His body screamed for Luke and his kits. His heirs.

Yet when he had walked ( _ stumbled) _ towards Luke, he didn’t see the same recognition in his icy blue eyes. 

He closed his eyes and tried to will the all too familiar ache of rejection that he was sure he had seen in Luke’s eyes. He hadn’t been expecting a romantic or even a warm reception. But he had to admit that he was secretly hoping for something civil or friendly. Not the pained and shocked expression he caught as Luke moved back towards Poe Dameron,who only  _ looked _ at Hux with those terribly glittering night dark eyes of his.

The bond between Luke and himself had been so thin at the time, barely more than a thin thread holding it together and Hux could have sworn that he felt it snap and bounce that moment Luke moved away from him. Hux knew that Luke had felt some kind of pain, due to the soft gasp he gave as he reached for Dameron at that moment, an unconscious gesture that made it all even more painful for him to witness. Even more so when Dameron reached out to take his hand and give him a look of concern. 

As if  _ Hux _ himself was an enemy Alpha that Luke needed protection from. 

He had to admit that it would have broken his resolve if Luke had given any hint that he considered Hux the enemy. His heartbeat was fast and hurried as he watched the silent interaction that was going on between Luke and Dameron and briefly wondered if they were communicating using the Force. He, along with the entire galaxy, was all too aware of Luke’s proficiency with the Force. 

But Dameron? As far as Hux’s information went, Dameron himself hadn’t clocked as Force sensitive. Or simply hadn’t been tested. 

He had been born during a time of turmoil and his parents had been Resistance fighters and Shara Bey had gone on missions with Luke herself, no doubt leaving Dameron with his father. He doubted that there were testing facilities on Yavin IV or even if his parents were inclined to even test him. So it was a mystery to the First Order as to whether he had that much strength to be able to manipulate it as someone trained in it. 

Either way, it bothered him that they could have that intimacy. Even though he had calculated the probability of Luke growing distant from him, he hadn’t expected to be hurt this  _ badly _ by the evidence of it in front of him. 

Or to be so undone by the whole thing. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know Luke’s feelings in the situation. Of course he’d fall in love with someone else. Someone that wasn’t him. He got that. They weren’t together out of choice, but rather by punishment and later, by mutual need. 

It still didn’t stop that soft, foolish part of him from feeling the hot wave of pain at being rejected by Luke. 

He only had time to see Luke’s gaze turn back to him before he was marched off to his current location, blank and opaque in a way he had only seen once before: When Kylo Ren had first presented him as his concubine in front of the entire elite battalion of the First Force. There was simply nothing there, even as he was being displayed and humiliated in front of thousands of men and woman. He was simply not there.

Hux swallowed hard and tamped down all of those emotions for the time being. He had to get his game face on. He needed the Resistance as much as they needed him and he had to make the best deal possible. Mooning after an Omega wasn’t going to make that happen.

He sat up a bit straighter and debated seeing if the decrepit kettle worked well enough to at least make himself some tea with the probably past fresh leaves when the door opened to reveal General Organa, Poe Dameron...And Luke.

Luke himself was carrying a tray of with a bowl of hot stew, bread and a cup of tea that smelled vaguely familiar to Hux. 

He got off the bed slowly and made his way to the table and tried to not fall onto the food like a starving man. He could feel Poe’s burning gaze on him and he didn’t want to appear at more of a disadvantage than he already was. He knew damned well what he looked like and how close he was at losing control at having Luke so near. But he wouldn’t give in, despite how much he wanted to both inhale the food and scent Luke until he had his own salt and lemon scent under the sandalwood of his own.

“I don’t know what you’re used to, General Hux, but we  _ do not _ mistreat our prisoners. Eat. I’m sure you haven’t had a decent meal in a long while. After that, we talk.”

General Organa stated as she waited for Hux to sit down and eat while she and Luke remained standing. Poe had left once Luke had put the tray of food down and Hux let himself have a slight bit of hope that he’d be left with just General Organa and Luke. Poe was a factor that he wasn’t sure he could  _ quite _ handle. He was an outlier and he was sure that if he objected, he may lose his ground in negotiations. 

Hux nodded and glanced briefly at Luke, who gave him a small smile in return that made most of his uneasiness disappear. He sat down and took a spoonful of the stew and was only barely able to suppress a moan at the taste of it. Especially since he realised that it was the same type of stew that Luke had made. 

It wasn’t quite the grand gesture that he had been hoping for, but it was enough.

He still had some sort of chance.

And he would make sure to take it.

His determination doubled when Poe came back with two more chairs and Hux only watched as he offered one to Luke and then to the General Organa before he sat down to her right, while Luke sat to the left. 

“We have time, General Hux. No need to rush yet.”

~*~*~*~*~*

Luke watched his estranged mate under his lashes, giving off an air of boredom that wasn’t all pretence. 

He  _ was  _ bored. Despite having been a part of many delegations and negotiations, he couldn’t seem to keep his mind from wandering as he listened to Leia, Hux, and Poe debate the finer points of Hux’s defection to the Resistance. 

He had to admit that out of everything that he had seen in the time that he and Hux had spent together, he’d never have guessed that Hux would defect from the First Order. He had been raised and indoctrinated into it! He was the poster child for that organization and firmly believed in their ideals. 

To have him willingly leave, and leave with not just information, but badly needed credits, supplies, ammunition and a kriffing  _ Dreadnought _ was the last thing that Luke would have ever expected of Armitage Hux. 

Just like he hadn’t expected the faint feeling of warmth and familiarity that had bloomed in his chest the moment that Hux had stumbled into the hangar bay, with his bruised face, arm in a sling and a purpose shining in his grey blue eyes. His breath had caught in his throat and it was like getting punched, seeing him there looking very much like a warrior rather than the cold bureaucrat he had always been to Luke. Even in tender and private times. 

He had nearly forgotten himself right there and then after seeing him and Luke had to wonder what he would have done if the fledgling connection between himself and Poe flare up with concern and love for Luke. It was something that he’d never felt from Hux, even after Owen and Anakin had been born that pulled him back to Poe and  _ his  _ strong warmth. Even with the fragile bond, he felt the strength of his  _ chosen _ mate and had immediately gone back to Poe.

He knew he had hurt Hux. It wasn’t hard to know how Hux worked once he knew the signs of what to look for. He hadn’t meant to hurt him, but in the end, he had. And he felt terrible about it, even though he was more or less justified in his actions. He didn’t owe Hux anything, but he hadn’t ever been intentionally cruel. 

_ “You’re going to be okay with him being here?” _

Poe had asked, his eyes bright as he looked at Luke, both of them turning to each other despite being fully aware of Hux standing a few feet away from them.

_ “It’s really sweet of you to ask, but I promise that I’ll be fine, Dameron. Hux doesn’t mean me harm. It’s unexpected, but he’s here on good faith. He’s done with the First Order.” _

Poe had been skeptical about  _ that  _ but Luke had been quick to reassure him on that particular issue.

_ “Hux was never outright cruel to me, Poe. Despite being indoctrinated, he didn’t abuse what power he had over me. He could have destroyed me, kept me as a broodmare for his heirs, but instead chose to let me go. For him to abandon what he had fervently believed in all his life… That says a lot.” _

Poe had acquiesced and even had grudgingly suggested feeding Hux, which had surprised Luke more than he had let on, making Poe laugh. 

_ “He may have treated me like shit, but that doesn’t mean we have to act in kind. Especially not after bringing a dreadnought and badly needed supplies.” _

Luke smiled at the memory and shifted in his chair, looking over fondly at Poe, who was deep in studying the schematics that Hux had handed over without much of a fuss. He stifled a sigh though, when he heard the voices of his sister and Hux arguing vociferously over the finer points of his defection. Of course, they wouldn’t give in to each other’s demands. Hux and Leia were far too similar than they would have ever wanted to see or admit. Of course they would wrangle over every single point, no matter how obscure it was.

He shifted again and half-followed the conversation that had now shifted towards the coordinates of another dreadnought and the supply lines that were syphoning off much needed resources from the Stewjon System. He idly wondered if he or Poe would be leading their own squadrons on that mission, or if he was going to be allowed to man his own squadron. 

He was about to start picking possible candidates for his putative squadron when Hux’s snarl and Poe’s own answering one did two things: One, snap him out of his increasingly loopy thoughts and two, made his underclothes soaked with slick. 

He gasped, then moaned as a sharp cramp tore through his abdomen. Sweat beaded up on his upper lip and a moan escaped him. His heat had come with a vengeance, leaving him helpless and in the thrall of his Alpha. 

He pushed away from the table and stumbled out, falling as another cramp made him double over and fall into caf and citrus scented arms. 

Dimly, he heard a broken howl followed by the crunch of durasteel and duraplastic, but it didn’t matter. Not when he was hefted into strong arms and had his head tucked into his Alpha’s chest.

“ _ I got you, amorcito. I got you.” _

Luke mewled as he was carried off bridal style away from the cacophony behind them. He was burning up and dripping slick. Normally, he would have been embarrassed about how wet and messy he was getting, but all he cared about was being claimed by his mate. 

“ _ Not long now, love. Not long now.” _

Luke mewled in response, tilting his head so that he could lick a stripe along his Alpha’s gland, making him shudder as he was laid down on their bed. 

He opened swollen eyes a crack, long enough to see his Alpha in all of his glory. Poe wasn’t a big man, but he was well built and strong with it. The scars littered about his tawny skin didn’t detract from this and made Luke mewl impatiently. Poe growled back and moved closer to Luke, his cock jutting out proudly as he then leaned over and helped Luke divest himself of his ruined clothing. Luke shivered as his overheated skin was exposed. It felt good and he arched back, exposing his neck to Poe. 

Poe took the hint, kneeling on the bed with Luke’s body between his legs, his hands skimming over Luke’s ribs, down his hips, and in between their bodies. Luke cried out when he felt Poe’s fingers slip into that secret opening that was wet and hot with even more slick making the entry of Poe’s fingers easy. Poe shushed him, mouthing along his jaw as he moved his fingers, crooking them up a bit to touch that spot he knew from experience would make an Omega of either gender lose control. 

Sure enough, Luke gave out a throaty shout, his hips bearing down on Poe’s fingers, his legs splayed wide as he tried to bring Poe’s fingers deeper into him. Poe obliged, pulling out just enough to add another finger before he pushed deeper into Luke, making the Omega give out one of those yells that sounded as if he was just on the edge of pain. The sound made him grin, his canines lengthening as he pulled his fingers out and in, making Luke’s vocalizations turn into desperate yowls as he repeated the action over and over again until Poe’s fingers and hand were wet with pink tinged slick and Luke was boneless on the bed, the edge taken off his heat.

Poe carefully withdrew his fingers from Luke’s body and wiped them carelessly on the sheets before dipping his head down and nipping at Luke’s lower lip, making Luke’s eyes flutter. He sighed as Poe kissed him, deepening the kiss until he could taste all of Luke. He pulled away, both of them out of breath and he instead kissed Luke’s jaw and then the juncture of Luke’s neck, nosing at the bonding gland that seemed overripe and almost swollen.

He pressed his lips to the tender skin, making Luke mewl and turn his head to allow Poe more access. 

Poe obeyed the unspoken command, shifting down enough so that he was at Luke’s entrance. 

_ “Just do it, Dameron, or do you need and engraved invitation?” _

Poe laughed softly as he nudged Luke to spread his legs wider before he thrust forward, burying himself deep. He paused, closing his eyes and letting out a low growl at the pleasure of bottoming out. He didn’t want to spill like a kit at his first mating. He wanted to move, urged on by Luke’s soft whines, but it wasn’t until he felt he was centered that he started to move.

A start and stop rhythm that had Luke clutching at him, digging his blunt nails into his back as Poe sped up, their bodies moving faster. Poe thrust harder and harder into Luke, making him slide across the filthy sheets underneath him, his throat thrown back as loud cries escaped his mouth with each hard thrust Poe made.

The sounds, a mix of pleasure and pain made Poe finally lose what little control he had. He sped up, his orgasm building up at the base of his spine and his vision going white around the edges, his canines finally lengthening enough for Poe to bite down hard onto Luke’s bonding gland.

Luke yowled, the sound enough to sent Poe over the edge and spill deep into Luke, locking them together physically and mentally.

And erasing every trace of Hux that had ever existed in Luke.


	4. Caught Between The Crossfire of Heaven and Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance acts upon the intelligence that Hux has brought them, while Hux is dealing with a broken bond and the knowledge that Dameron and his erstwhile mate are locked into a heat and one of his children has imprinted onto someone else.  
> Then Dameron shows up with a proposition he is both offended by and can't refute. 
> 
> And Kylo Ren is only just keeping the First Order from cracking apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more plot and more putting characters through all sorts of hell. Sorry, had to be done. Hux is quite punchable, so it had to happen.  
> Proofed, but if there are errors, they will be fixed later. Title is from Brandon Flowers' "Crossfire"

Rey chewed on her bottom lip anxiously as she watched the General pore over schematics and battle plans. She took a chance to glance over to Snap and Jessika Paiva, who stood alongside her and watched the General. None of them said anything as they waited for the General to finish the scrutiny of the plans that Hux had finally handed over in bitter defeat before all hell had broken loose.

No one was saying exactly what had gone on in that room, the General being tight-lipped about the situation. Any inquiry in regards to the Commanders Skywalker and Dameron was met with an icy stare. She ran the base as if nothing had changed and they didn’t have the second in command of the First Order sweating out a broken bond rut in a holding cell. 

As far as she was concerned, they had bigger fish to fry, namely setting up a strike against the Stewjonian blockade. And also getting that dreadnought that Hux had assured her was ripe and ready for the taking. They needed the supplies and the might that the dreadnought brought more than whether Hux was ripping a strip out of himself or not. He would get over it eventually.

They on the other hand, needed to strike when they had the opportunity and not let the information go to waste. 

And they needed to do it without their best pilot, who was currently seeing Skywalker through a vicious heat that desperately needed an Alpha and was far too strong for suppressants. Snap Wexley and Paiva were the next best pilots they had and with Chewy and Rey piloting the Falcon, they had a chance. So Leia was just finishing up the end loose ends before she finally gave them the word.

Once she had loaded all of the coordinates, she looked up at her pilots.

“You are all aware of the importance of this mission. Armitage Hux has given us more resources and information than we have had the good luck of having in nearly two years. We need to do this and do it properly.”

She turned to look at Wexley and Paiva.

“You two will take care of breaking the blockade. Rey and Chewie, along with Finn will commander the Dreadnought and bring it back. Do not, and I repeat,  _ Do NOT _ take any risks. We have enough of a skeleton crew as it is. I can’t afford to lose any of you. All of the information has been loaded onto your X-Wings and the Falcon. May the Force be with you.”

They snapped to attention and left the General with alacrity, eager to be on a mission and to get away from the tension at the base. Something that all of them hoped would go away in a few days or so, or else they would need to go somewhere else for some peace of mind. Not to mention the large hole left in their squadrons by their absences. They needed Dameron and Skywalker back, the sooner the better. 

Leia watched them go, not giving into the worry and exhaustion that were plaguing her until the door was shut behind them. 

She hoped that she wasn’t sending them to their deaths. She trusted that Rey would be fine with Chewy looking after her blind spots. She also trusted Paiva and Wexley to do their jobs and get out if anything that Hux had given them proved to be false. She didn’t think that there was any guile left in the man and he had come in good faith. 

She had seen how he had reacted when he had seen Luke respond to Poe, and how he had responded to seeing his kits again. Leia sighed when she recalled how his face had crumpled when one of his twins had cried and rejected him. Anakin, she recalled. Figured it would have been the one named after their complicated father. 

All of those instincts hadn’t been faked. Hux had truly put himself in their hands and had given them the payment that he knew they would have required of him. And now they were going to find out the exact worth of the currency that he had handed them.

She pressed her fingertips against her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to dispel the low level headache that had been plaguing her ever since Luke’s heat. She wondered faintly if she was feeling the effects of it through the Force, since Luke’s control would slip at random times, making the headache worse. 

She rubbed her temples and left her office to go to medical, knowing that she had put off talking to the medic about Luke’s condition and to get herself something to quell it. She needed to be alert in order to monitor the mission as well as to do some verbal sparring with Hux, since she had a sneaking suspicion that Hux may know what to do to ease the effects of her brother’s heat.

~*~*~*~*~

Hux’s good hand shook as he raised the bottle of cold water to his parched mouth and drank deeply. He nearly moaned in relief as the water soothed his swollen throat and lips. Once he had drank his fill, he closed it and put it on the durasteel floor and laid back down. He was unable to do much else, since he was restrained to the bed lest he try and rip himself apart again. 

Or had been. He noticed that the straps were gone and he had more freedom than before. For what reason they had seen fit to do that was beyond him. He didn’t care much. Only that it made getting water and going to the small fresher in the corner easier. 

He closed his eyes and forced himself to lie still, trying to not give into the dizziness that the suppressants they had dosed him with caused. He had been out for far too long, the stubble on his face telling him it had been a bit longer than a few days. Possibly even a week. They hadn’t told him anything when he was woken up, his wounds checked over and rebandaged if necessary. His arm was wrapped up in bacta bandages, and still healing far too slowly for his tastes despite a dunking in bacta when he had been knocked out after the bond had initially broken. He had use of it, but it was still far too weak to actually be back to normal.

His ribs had healed and now the only thing left had been the gashes and bites he had inflicted onto himself, which had been wrapped in bacta wrapped bandages and admonished to not touch if he could help it.

He would have argued and snarled back at Dr. Kalona’s commands, but he was much too vague and stupid eyed to do more except blink and passively lay down again. 

Hux was nearly drifting off to sleep when he scented something warm and dark in the room he was in. It reminded him of spicy caf, the scent cutting through the dulling of the suppressants and making him sharp-eyed and himself again. 

Sitting up, he squinted at the General, who was looking at him with that smooth politician’s mask that he had gotten used to whenever she brought to the twins to visit.

Or rather, Owen. Anakin had refused to stay with him, crying for his “Apa.”

It hurt him, since he knew that it was Poe that his kit wanted and it fueled his anger towards the other Alpha that had not only stolen his kit from him, but also his Luke as well.

How dare Dameron presume to take another Alpha’s Omega? One that he knew was already bonded? Hux found he was still seething over the situation, his rage still shimmering under the surface as he thought about how Dameron had simply bided his time and swooped right in as soon as he thought it convenient to do so. 

He grit his teeth and looked up at the General, who was watching his with narrowed eyes as she waited for him to come to his senses. 

“To what do I owe this honour, General?”

The General raised an eyebrow and stepped back to reveal a hollow eyed and haunted looking Dameron in his iconic orange fly suit and with Anakin in his arms. Hux forced himself to not react to the sight of his kit in the Alpha’s arms. As much as he wanted to tear Poe Dameron’s throat out, there was no way that he’d indulge in violence with Anakin there. 

Even if Anakin was no longer his kit to claim, with Dameron having established not just a parental bond with the kit, but a Force one as well. He had no actual proof of it, but he had a strong suspicion that was the case whenever he spent time with Anakin and Owen, since Dameron’s scent was always over the kit and Hux always found it odd that Dameron was always right there to take Anakin with alacrity, but not Owen.

It made him angry to think about again, but he forced himself to calm down and wait for what they were obviously here to propose to him.He also had to admit that if the positions were reversed, he’d have done the same thing. Dameron would have been a great addition to the First Order with that cunning underhandedness. Despite himself, he was impressed. Yet he’d die first before breathing a word to anyone about it. 

Leia  and Poe Dameron exchanged a glance and then looked at Hux, giving him the uncomfortable impression they knew what had crossed his mind. He didn’t deign to give them anything else and just waited for them to act first. 

“We need your help again, Hux.”

Leia stated, making Hux frown at her. 

“Not that kind of help. You have given more than we could have dreamed of having.”

Leia amended, making Hux nod imperiously.

“I told you, General. I was not kidding about my intent.”

Leia shrugged one shoulder and turned to look at Poe, who handed her Anakin. He looked at the child as if he was having a communication with him and waited for Anakin to look at him and blink before he addressed Hux. 

It was only then that he looked up from the kit and to Leia. Both shared a nod and she moved out of the room, leaving them alone. Immediately, the tension in the cell ratcheted to sky-high levels and if Poe noticed, he didn’t give any reaction. He only looked at Hux with those caf eyes as if he was assessing and weighing his options and risks.

He wasn’t outright hostile or blank, but there was an edge of wariness as he looked at Hux. 

“Luke’s heat still hasn’t abated and I am needed on the mission to Naboo.” He paused, his jaw working as he kept those dark eyes fixed on Hux. “He needs an Alpha and I am asking for you to be it.”

Hux didn’t even plan it. 

All he knew was that his vision had gone red and he was flying at Poe, his mouth open in a snarl as he tried to rip out the other Alpha’s throat. He had never reverted to his full Alpha instincts before and he was subsumed by his animal instincts in seconds. The only thoughts in his mind was to rend the intruder and claim his Omega back. 

Poe yelped in surprise, the yelp becoming a vicious snarl as he slammed into Hux, cold-clocking the other Alpha and breaking his nose. The blood sprayed over them, but neither of them paid attention, each determined to destroy each other. Hux shouted, but didn’t stop his onslaught, opting to grab Poe and slam his knee into his gut.

It slowed Poe for a moment, not long enough for him to land several hard hits to Hux’s sore ribs. Hux retaliated, head butting Poe and making him stumble back a few paces before he went in again, catching Hux in the jaw and sending his head snapping back.

He stumbled a few paces, his vision now blurry and tinged with pink from blood dripping into his eye. He was breathing heavily and squinted as he tried to focus on Poe, who only stood still and watching him with a coldy pitying look. Hux growled breathlessly at that, weaving on his feet as he tried to catch himself and attack Poe again. 

He swung out, but only overbalanced and sent himself sprawling onto the ground. He felt himself hit the concrete and then-Nothing.

~*~*~*~*~

“Got it out of your system now?”

Hux blinked blearily at the voice, sitting up and squinting at Poe, who was standing a good distance away from his bed. 

His lip was split and his nose looked swollen, with a bit of bruising high on his cheekbones that made Hux seethe. He still looked good. He could only guess what kind of a bloody, pulped up mess he was. He raised his hand and was surprised when it came back clean. 

Poe only raised an eyebrow, making Hux’s scowl before he sighed.

“Fine. You’re the main Alpha. Skywalker chose you. Fine. Just don’t rub it in. I do have some kind of pride left. Allow me that, at least.”

Poe snorted and rubbed his forehead as he glared at Hux.

“Luke said you’d probably be a shit about this.”

Hux’s head shot up and he stood up. Slowly and awkwardly, but he managed it.

And cursed himself when it hit him exactly how much power any mention of Luke still had over him.

“About what?”

Poe huffed a ghost of a humourless laugh.

“Seeing him through his gods forsaken heat. It’s been ten days and it’s still in high gear. I have to be out there. You were his mate. He asked for you. Now are you going to attack me again, or are you going to do right by the Omega you keep on banging on about being yours?”

Hux squinted at him, still not sure if the offer was legitimate or not. 

“Hux, this isn’t a trap. Believe me when I say that I’d rather be with Luke than negotiating his heat with another Alpha. I  _ have  _ no choice in this and he seems to trust you. I have to go. Now will you do it?”

The bluntness in Poe’s words finally convinced him that he wasn’t being led into a trap. Nor was the way that Poe’s eyes went light at the mention of Luke’s heat. He had experience with Luke’s last heat and he recalled the Medic saying it would take awhile for Luke’s heat to regulate into a normal four to six day cycle than the nearly two week one he had experienced. He understood that Poe had to go. No one else had the experience to follow up the back to back missions that were eating away at the First Order. 

He had put all of these events in motion and he had to see them through. 

Even if it meant rubbing salt into an open wound. 

“Aren’t you afraid that I might re-bond with him? Give him another litter, perhaps?”

Hux asked, wanting to wound Poe before he finally gave in.

Poe looked down his nose at him and snorted.

“He’s not the helpless Omega you mated, Hux. He’s got the Force back and he’s carrying  _ my  _ litter. Doc Kalonia says superfetation is unlikely at this stage in the game. So are you done trying to take more cheap shots at me? Luke’s waited far too long as it is.”

Hux bit his bottom lip hard, but nodded.

“Good. Let’s go.”

~*~*~*~*~

Luke felt as if he was back in Tatooine. The heat, the dryness, the blinding light. All of it was the same as it had been when he was a child. Yet it was so much more  _ worse _ .

Especially since his Alpha was nowhere to be found. He raised his head a few inches off of the sweat soaked pillow, but couldn’t get his gummed together eyes to open.His throat was so dry it hurt and he let out a soft mewl and blindly reached out for the water bottle Poe had told him was on the bedside table. 

His hand was grabbed, making his eyes fly open in surprise. 

“Hux?”

He rasped out, his eyes widening at the sight of his erstwhile Alpha sitting on the bed wearing only a pair of loose slung trousers and nothing else. HIs chest was bare and bruised and he looked as if he had gotten a good beating, but it was him. So where was Poe?

“Poe had to go. Your sister didn’t want to give up the advantage.”

Hux explained as he handed Luke the water and helped him sit up to drink it.

“But I’m here and I can help you.”

Luke finished drinking the water and looked at Hux, who looked quite awkward and unsure at the situation. Luke himself wasn’t sure it was a good idea. He would have much rather waited for Poe to come back to see him through the heat, which was turning out to be as every bit as horrible as the one he had with Hux. He didn’t want to revisit the thoroughly karked relationship between them at such a delicate time, but his body had other ideas. 

He doubled over as the wave of heat washed over him, cramping up his belly and making him gush out slick that filled the room with a too sweet scent that had Hux growling and stripping the light sheet Luke had been lying under. 

Luke whimpered as his legs spread to welcome the Alpha smelled just a bit off. He was torn between pulling him closer and pushing him away. The Alpha mouthing at the scarred over mark on his bonding gland made it be a moot point. 

Whining with need, he wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s shoulders and pulled him closer, forcing a rough kiss onto him, all teeth and tongue hunger. There was nothing gentle about the gesture. 

Just like there was nothing gentle when the Alpha finally entered him and mated him.

~*~*~*~*~

Kylo Ren studied the maps in front of him and only just controlled himself from lashing out at the command he had left. 

The First Order was losing ground. All around him, systems and planets repelled the attacks. His supply lines were a mess and Naboo, Corellia, and even backwaters like Takodana and D’Qar had declared themselves independent of the First Order.

His last attempt at subjugation, Coruscant, had only  _ just _ escaped destruction from the interference of Dameron, who had all of Luke’s Force sticky fingerprints all over him.

And now, they had been forced to retreat. Their own dreadnoughts used against them and leaving the First Order with a serious black eye and the whispers that the end was coming closer and closer.

“How should we proceed, Supreme Leader?”

Mitaka asked, his voice steady despite the fear that was clinging to him like expensive perfume.

All of the eyes of his command were on him and as much as it galled him to do so, he had to salvage what little pride and troops they had left. 

“Retreat to Mustafar. We can always strike again.”

He turned back to the map and smiled as he located Hoth.

“And when we do, we will end them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hux and Poe-They basically end up giving in to their animal sides while challenging each other. Once they have finished blooding each other, they have a bit of a truce going on. Hux is subservient to Poe in this. He holds his own, but he does give Poe his due respect.  
> Luke's heat-It's caused by both his body still cycling out the last traces of suppressants and the treatment wreaking havoc on him. His heats WILL calm down, but he may be a two Alpha Omega.  
> Superfetation-Luke could theoretically get pregnant twice during a heat cycle, since it's so strong and rough. He won't, since he just needs someone to help him through the worst of it all.


	5. If You're Hurting, Lay It All On Me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux and Luke finally have a long overdue conversation. Poe comes back and he and Luke also discuss their own plans while outside of their sphere, the War is coming to a head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was a bit of a trip in plot and writing wise, penultimate chapter that will have the conclusion of this second war. Proofed, but if mistakes appear, they will be fixed.   
> Title is from Rudimental's "Lay it All On Me."

Hux blinked himself awake and found himself staring blearily at a white wall. His eyebrows knitted together as he wondered why his wall was white, rather than the industrial grey he was used to. He was also warmer than he was used to and his bed felt softer than before. He also was surprised to be surrounded by the scent of caf, sandalwood, and a faint underlay of sweet milk, something that was definitely  _ not _ in the cell the Resistance had put him in.

He was still puzzling this out when he felt someone nuzzling the back of his neck. Turning his head, he nearly fell out of the bed when he saw that it was Luke that was trying to plaster himself all over Hux. As it was, the jostling was enough to wake up Luke, who looked at him through squinted, his eyes puffy from sleep and pillowcase marks on his face.

He looked at Hux in utter confusion and surprise, as if out of all the people he was expecting to there, Hux would have been the  _ last _ one he expected. 

“Hux? Where is Poe?”

He whispered roughly before coughing to clear his throat. 

Hux flinched at the question. It was only fair, but it still cut to the core to be asked that. 

“The General Organa sent him out on a mission to Naboo. He was the only one to do it and he asked me if I could help you with your heat. It’s still pretty bad as it was the first time we shared it.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed as he nodded to himself and Hux idly wondered if Luke would be angry at being handed off to another Alpha while being insensate in heat. 

His wondering was cut short when he saw Luke’s expression turn inward, as if he was looking for answers inside of his body or mind when he shook his head and smiled a secretive smile. This made Hux’s heart sink as he realised that Luke was aware of the kits he and Poe had conceived. 

Despite wanting to think that maybe there was a chance of Luke carrying his children again, Poe had been right. Hux also knew that he had come far too late and cursed himself for the wishful thinking. 

How the hell did he end up turning into a sentimental fool when it came to Skywalker? 

Hux was still asking himself this when he heard Luke pointedly clearing his throat. He looked up and saw Luke awkwardly making his way out of the filthy bed that had seen heavy use from both Poe and then Hux. 

“We need to get clean and get some food and check on the kits. Unless you want to say in that?”

Luke asked as he nodded towards the disgusting bed. Hux was sure that they’d have to burn the bedding. He knew that even HE would have a hell of a time in getting Luke and Poe’s scent out of his skin and hair. Hux got it, but didn’t really appreciate being treated like a kit. Least of all by an Omega.

Hux scowled at the question and didn’t deign Luke with a reply. He only gestured with his good arm for Luke to go ahead.

A gesture that made Luke roll his eyes and sigh in exasperation.

“It’s a good thing you’re cute, cause you can certainly be quite dense, Armitage Hux. Surely you didn’t think that you’d be able to use that arm? Or the fact that your ribs are different shades of yellow and green still? I wasn’t  _ that  _ out of it to not notice how you favoured your good side in the bed. So come on. I want to get clean.”

Hux wanted to snap at Luke, oh how he wanted to stalk out and leave him to it, but he knew that Luke only meant well. So he simply followed Luke into the Fresher and let him help. First with the brace and then by peeling off the dried out and scummy bacta patches still on him. Once he was done, Luke adjusted the temperature and Hux nearly moaned in delight at having hot water soaking his sore and tense muscles. 

Luke only smiled softly and manhandled Hux under the hot spray, wetting his hair thoroughly before grabbing the all purpose cleaner and lathering Hux’s hair. 

Hux wanted to be petulant and complain about being treated like his own kits, he found that the impulse to complain passed the moment that Luke got to work. His gentle touches telegraphed the kindness that welled up from him like an everlasting spring. He instead just closed his eyes and let himself be taken care of like he hadn’t been in years.

Despite everything he had gone through, Luke only wanted to do the best for everyone. Even for Hux, despite the circumstances that brought them together and tied them together. He had that innate goodness that demanded nothing in return and had no strings attached.

Something that Hux was starting to accept existed and was starting to get used to after it being lacking in his own life for so long. Maybe he had something of it with his mother, but after Brendol and the Academy, he had been raised into thinking it was a figment of his imagination. But now with Luke, he knew it wasn’t so. It was very real and he had the proof.

He knew that even if he didn’t possess Luke in that way, he could comfort himself with the fact that Luke was giving him all of his attention and much needed balm for his wounds. He had missed the feel of Luke being so close, the way that he’d touch him and Hux would just  _ know _ that it was him. The sandalwood scent of him. The feel of the muscles of his back under his fingers. 

The physical proximity of him that made him soft and doe eyed whenever he looked at him. 

All of this hit Hux hard as Luke scrubbed him down, forcing him to keep his eyes shut as Luke’s hands moved down his body, washing him, making him clean and anew. Doing it with such a tenderness that Hux had seen Luke employ with Anakin and Owen. He hadn’t ever thought he would receive such a gentleness from anyone in his life, and there he was, getting it from Luke, who had been his, but never really his.

The next thing Hux knew was that he felt the tears course past his closed eyelids and down his wet cheeks. He opened his eyes then and found himself looking down at Luke, who was watching him carefully with those wide sky blue eyes. He tried to pull back to...To do what exactly? He didn’t know or could say. All he knew was that this wasn’t what he wanted Luke to see in him.

But Luke understood.

Hux knew the moment that Luke cradled his face in his hands and pulled him down for a kiss. 

It wasn’t like the earlier ones they had shared, full of lust and urgency and teeth and lips clashing in a futile fight for dominance. No. 

This was all the sweetness and softness and kindness that was previously unknown to Hux distilled in a simple gesture and it utterly broke him enough to need Luke to pull him into an embrace, until Hux had sobbed the turmoil of his emotions out. 

~*~*~*~*~

Poe let the ground crew take care of his X-Wing as he rushed towards his quarters, a faint bit of apprehension gnawing at him as he rushed through the durasteel halls of the base. He nodded and smiled at the well-wishers, his smile hiding his inner turmoil. 

He had been confident that no bonding could have taken place between Hux and Luke. That the old bond had been stretched thing and then broken the moment he and Luke had mated and he had bitten over Hux’s bond mark. That the kits in his belly had more than cemented that claim. 

Yet he worried.

He knew that it was a rational fear. After all, he had lost so much prior to gaining a bonding with Luke. It had been a childhood ambition that he hadn’t ever expected to come true and there it had. He wasn’t going to ever be ungrateful over how he had come to have that gift from the Force. 

Other Alphas would have balked at taking on another Alpha’s kits. Especially if that Alpha was Armitage Hux. 

At first, he tried his best to shield Luke from the worst of the gossip going around the base, he was sure that he hadn’t caught all of it. He could only do so much in regards to stopping the usual idle chatter. They all engaged in it, since it made the boredom pass somewhat. 

What Poe could stop was his own crew engaging into it and setting an example. Even if people sneered that he was licking at a used up in heat bitch, he didn’t even acknowledge it and refused to let Paiva or Wexley fight his own or Luke’s battles. He knew if he even dared to react, they would have won. 

Besides, why should he react when it wasn’t true? 

He and Luke knew the truth and they didn’t owe anyone any explanations. 

Luke had flinched the first time he had ever heard of himself as nothing than a First Order whore, following in his mother’s footsteps. He hadn’t said anything the second time, other than to thank Poe for holding him back after nearly breaking the perpetrator’s jaw. His eyes had glittered dangerously and Poe had been made aware of the fact that even though Luke was an Omega, he’d been taking care of himself far longer than Poe himself had been around. 

He’d also dealt with his share of sleemos, his parentage having been public knowledge far longer than General Organa’s had been. His Alpha side had calmed right down and Luke had gotten some of the respect he was owed due to his being one of the original Commanders of the X-Wing squadron. 

He had let it go then, since the gossip had turned into mutterings. 

Which Poe had no doubt would start up the moment that it became obvious who Luke had spent his last heat with. 

Hopefully that would be the end of it. At least Poe hoped so, but he wouldn't find out until he entered the room. 

He keyed their code into the door and the door slid open. He was surprised to see that the common area was empty, so he simply shucked off his boots and slid out of his flight suit and hung it up on the hook by the door. Once he had neatened up his boots on the rack, he walked further into their living quarters and was both pleasantly surprised and amused to find Luke sitting up on the bed. 

He wasn’t sleeping though. He was stroking Hux’s flyaway hair as the other Alpha slept deeply, his head in Luke’s lap. His face was flushed and his eyes swollen and for a moment, Poe was reminded of Anakin when he had cried himself to sleep. They had the same forlorn look that wasn’t relaxed in sleep, hinting at emotional upheaval that was much needed, but difficult to get through.

Oddly enough, the sight didn’t make him angry or possessive. It actually made him want to ease the grief that Hux had experienced, soothe the hurts like the did with Anakin. He didn’t need to assert his dominance. He needed to heal, like a true Alpha was supposed to do. 

“The kits and Elie are with Rose right now. I thought it wouldn’t do to have them here for what will happen next.”

Luke murmured, looking up and tilting his neck to expose the cleanly healed mark that Poe had left there almost two weeks ago. It was a clear invitation that Poe took up with alacrity, licking the skin and then nipping at it before rubbing his scent all over Luke. Luke moaned a bit as Poe did that, his eyes fluttering shut in pleasure as Poe then kissed him with a barely banked hunger despite the fact that they had just spent an intense heat together not too long ago.

Once he had greeted his mate, he sat down beside him, careful to not jostle the bed anymore than necessary and wake what looked like a clearly worn out Hux. 

_ “Did everything go well?” _

_ “Shouldn’t I be asking  _ you _ that instead? How did Naboo turn out?” _

Poe smiled and kissed his temple.

_ “Perfectly. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. Everything he gave us made it happen. He’s still General Starkiller.” _

He shrugged.

_ “Well, not as much, I must admit.” _

Luke hummed at that. 

_ “He tends to have that effect on people.” _

Poe raised an eyebrow at that.

_ “He was never that warped or corrupted, like Kylo Ren was. He was simply misguided and never had the chance to know something different. To be something different. He can be redeemed. I know it.” _

Poe nodded and looked down at the sleeping Alpha. 

_ “It won’t happen if he’s on his own, will it?” _

Luke sighed and shook his head, his fingers still carding through the thick, longish strands of bright hair. 

_ “Probably not. Without us or Leia to vouch for him, even with all he’s done, he’d be gutted the minute he’d step out in the canteen or the hangar.” _

Poe wrinkled his nose at that, since he knew it was all too painfully true and quite likely to happen.  But that wasn’t his concern at the moment, but rather what to do about the confused sadness that seemed to cling to him like strong perfume. 

_ “We can deal with that if it comes to a head. He has helped us more than we thought possible. The First Order is weakened and the Outer Rim and Mid Rim know this and are acting accordingly. No. I’m talking about his mental state and the fact that whether we like it or not, we’re a pack. You’re having my kits. You had his kits. It would be cruel to leave him out into cold.” _

Luke’s eyes widened at those simple statements. He had toyed with bringing up the idea to Poe when he had gotten Hux to sleep. He knew what the bruises that littered Hux’s body meant. He could smell the faint scent of Poe’s familiar warm caf, grown acrid with anger on the other Alpha. Hux had been beaten and unless he won another fight, he was a walking target for any Alpha to challenge. Luke was willing to bet that if that happened on the base, Hux wouldn’t stand a chance.

They be the Resistance, but he was all too painfully aware of the tactics they employed. Not to mention the desperate beings that they attracted by virtue of being the only other option available to them. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he recalled Saw Guerrera and what he had become.He was all too aware of the situation that they faced, the Force had been giving him enough hints at how close things were to an end. He had seen flashes of it. 

They had to make a decision.

_ “Do you want to welcome him in to the bond then?” _

Poe chewed on his bottom lip before he exhaled and nodded. 

They both felt a small hum of the Force at the decision, and Luke nodded to himself. 

~*~*~*~*~

Kylo Ren lashed out at the map, his saber skittering violently against the map, obliterating all of the lost planets and systems. The First Order, ever since Hux defected, was in a retreat. He was losing as much ground as they had gained when Snoke was in charge. He was all too painfully aware of his failings as a leader and how much he had relied on Hux, Mitaka and Phasma. 

They needed to make one last attack and he would have to make it count. 

He turned off his saber and left the now destroyed conference room. 

They were going to have an all out war, if it was the last thing that he’d do. 

The First Order had to survive.

~*~*~*~*

Rey looked up from the schematics she had been looking at, her eyes unfocusing, her entire body going still and making Finn look up from petting Elie the tooka, who had somehow warmed up to him after Rose had left to feed the twins. Elie meeped and Finn gently put her on the bed before checking on Rey, who shook herself awake. 

“Are you okay, Rey?”

She nodded, scrambling to her feet, breathing heavily. 

“I need to find General Organa. We need to get ready for him.”

Finn’s eyes widened. 

“They’re coming?”

Rey nodded, pushing Finn into action, leaving a very confused tooka lying on the bed.  

~*~*~*~

Hux fiddled with the cup of strong tea that Poe had put down in front of him, his disbelief quite apparent as he looked down at the cup. His thin lips pressed in a pale white line as he turned over the proposition that Luke and Poe had presented to him the moment that he’d been awake enough to understand.

“Are you sure of what you’re asking me? A traitor, and a submissive Alpha...You want me to join with you?”

Poe and Luke nodded. 

“We are.”

Hux snorted.

“Have both of you lost your minds? It’s not like the Resistance will condone it!”

Luke and Poe stared at each other intensely. Poe gave a sharp nod that made Hux shift in his chair. Luke shook his head and barked a sharp laugh.

“I don’t give a karking womprat’s behind what the rest of them think. Considering that  _ we’re _ the Commanders and the best pilots of the Resistance, they have very precious little to say about who or what we do in our personal lives.”

Hux blinked at the sharpness of the answer. 

“Besides, if you don’t want to accept that we truly want you with us because we want  _ you _ and we want you as part of a pack, then accept that if we don’t claim you, your days are numbered out there. We offer you the best chance of survival and maybe even a shot at redemption. So what will it be?”

Hux glared at both of them for a full minute and lifted the mug of tea as he debated the offer that had been given to him.

They were right. He didn’t feel awkward or unwanted in their company and his kits once the had met them again. He didn’t even feel animosity from Poe. Just a mild acceptance, which was far better than the alternative. He still felt the pain of their last encounter.

Hux also was painfully aware that they had found his weakness, his desire to belong and to have a family. To have more of that kindness that Luke and Poe were offering him. To have his kits about him again. He wanted all of that.

It had been the major reason for his defection after all.

He put the mug of tea down and nodded.

“I accept.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poe/Luke/Hux-This was actually planned to happen from the beginning and part of the reason why they challenged each other for Luke. Hux is still and Alpha, but due to him being beaten, he now answers to Poe as his pack leader. So yep, they are polyamorous in this.  
> Kylo Ren-Yep, he's losing what little of his mind he has due to realising everything has fallen apart on him.  
> Rey-She still has a connection to Kylo and that's why she knows what he's planning.


	6. Come Break Me Down, Bury Me, Bury Me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war has come to its final crescendo, with Poe and Luke fighting in the sky, Hux and General Organa on one of the dreadnoughts, And Rey waiting for the last meeting that fate has decreed for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter and wow, I honestly didn't think that I was going to get here after setbacks in writing and in RL, since it is actually hard to write a show-down even if it is a foregone conclusion.   
> Proofed, but if mistakes appear, they will be edited at a later date. Chapter title is from 30SFM. "The Kill (Bury Me)"

The general stood on the bridge of one of Hux’s dreadnoughts, her expression neutral as she watched the firefight going on outside. Poe Dameron and her brother were out there, much against her wishes for the second one. Luke was carrying his second kit and wouldn’t hear anything about staying behind. 

“I’m not an invalid, sister. Just pregnant.”

He had insisted as he suited up, reminding him of the eager boy he had been before the battle of Yavin. Those blue eyes far older than they had been that time, when he had been joking around with that Darklighter boy. The one that had died in the battle before Luke had taken the shot that had spelled out the beginning of the end of the empire. 

“With Poe’s kits. Luke, we have enough fighters, enough credits, and dreadnoughts. It’s not the same as it was last time. We can certainly afford to have you sit out of this battle.”

General Organa tried to reason with her brother, who had his face set in that mulish look of his that she recognised all too well. Luke wouldn’t listen to her. He was already set on what he was going to do. The least she could do was to curb the damage. 

Her eyes flickered over to where Poe Dameron and Armitage Hux were hovering, having their own quiet conversation, yet both carefully monitoring the situation at hand. She noticed them and nodded to herself. If she couldn’t convince him, she could most definitely get her brother’s Alphas to do the work for her. 

The thought was squelched in its infancy when Hux caught her eye and slowly shook his head. She then looked at Poe, but all that she got was a cooly blank look in return. The same look that she had seen on Shara Bey’s face whenever she had made up her mind. It was disconcerting to see that look on the younger copy of Kes’ face, but she knew when to cut her losses. 

She turned back to her brother, who had grabbed his helmet and saw that the mulish look had disappeared and was replaced by a small smug one of triumph. 

“We already had this out before you came, Leia. I’m going. I’m far more use out there, than sitting here as a target. Don’t you think Ren won’t come looking for me? For the kits? I can’t hide Anakin or Owen’s signatures any longer. I can protect everyone out there better in an X-wing than sitting here, fretting for my Alphas.”

Leia’s mouth thinned with the points that Luke was making. He was right on all fronts. It still didn’t meant that it sat well with her. Rose had her instructions of what to do with the kits and the tooka that had stuck to them like glue ever since Poe had claimed them as his own. Kes was aware of the possible new arrivals and had assured Poe and Leia he was ready. Finn and Rey were out already in the Falcon, waiting to enter and do their part in the fray. 

She hadn’t wanted to put her faith in the X-Wings and the Falcon or the other Dreadnought that had come to them after Hux had pulled some strings after he and Poe had come to an agreement. She had firmly pushed any curiosity about that out of her mind and focused on what Hux had told them after doing his own individual runs into Arkanis.

“He’s predictable in his madness. He’s decided to hit us with everything that is left to the First Order. Once that is done, he’s going to want to engage Luke or Rey.”

Hux had explained as he had pointed out the quadrants in need of cover and the other ships that the First Order had placed. He hadn’t divulged his sources, but all of it had been accurate. They had gutted the First Order fleets to the point that they didn’t hold the Outer Rim any longer. Mandalore had led the fight and the other planets and systems had followed. 

The First Order only held the farthest quadrant and they were losing chunks of that even. The Mid Rim had just recently been liberated and the Core worlds had already pledged their allegiance to the Resistance. 

The First Order was on its way out and everyone was determined to make sure that it would stay so this time, rather than be the Rump government that had made it possible for the First Order to exist in the first place. 

“We just have to engage the First Order fighters and destroy their dreadnoughts, keep him at bay long enough for him to make his move. After that, it will be finished. He’s fighting for keeps here. Either him or us will walk away, but not the both of us.”

Hux had explained, making Leia nod at his logic.

“All or nothing then.”

Hux nodded at the comment. 

“Exactly. He knows he won’t walk about of this alive and he IS more than willing to take all of us down with him to do so. Some of us more than others.”

The last was said almost as an afterthought, but Leia was all too aware that he meant Luke or Rey. Or maybe both.

Her son’s madness was too apparent for her to not ignore the targets of it. Especially now that Luke was carrying again. Even though he was fully aware that genetic incompatibility couldn’t have given him the strong Force kits that he wanted it didn’t stop his rage. A destructive rage aimed at Luke’s duplicity and the fact that Poe and Hux had fathered the scions he desperately wanted.

He was going to make them pay. Even at the expense of the First Order falling apart and the galaxy again plunged into a chaotic civil war that she was distraught to have to fight once again. And against her own family as well. The irony of the parallels didn’t escape her. 

She didn’t have time to dwell on that now. They needed to take down the last of the dreadnoughts and push Kylo Ren to his last choice. 

“Fine. I can’t stop you from doing what you need to. Just don’t get captured and come back in one piece. I don’t think I’d be able to hold either Dameron or Hux back.”

Luke smiled then, and leaned over to kiss his sister on the cheek. 

“The Force will work it out somehow. I am sure of it. May the Force be with you, Leia.”

The General softened into Leia then and reached up to pat her brother on the cheek, still not used to the fact that this serious eyed young man was her twin brother. 

“May the Force be with you too, Luke.”

They turned away from each other and Poe made his way to his side, intertwining their hands together as they walked to the hangar. 

Hux and Leia watched them go, watching them as they made their way to their respective X-Wings, their respective mechs following behind them. 

“They have it in hand, I’m sure.”

Hux muttered, making Leia look at him. 

“Then we need to go to the bridge and do our part.”

Hux’s face changed into the Admiral Hux persona as she said this, making her smile inwardly. She didn’t need Armitage Hux at that moment and was glad to see Admiral Hux in his place If they were fighting for everything, they needed to be as ruthless as the enemy. 

Maybe even more so. 

She had learned her lesson. 

The First Order would be annihilated into the ash that the Empire should have been.

~*~*~*~*~

Poe was in his element, his blood singing as he flew past the imperial tie fighters, taking them away from the base and the dreadnought that was the nexus of their forces. Hoth again was armed to the teeth and ready to take on any ground incursion. But Poe and the squadrons weren’t going to let that happen. 

His children and tooka were down there. It would be a cold day in Sith hell if that were to happen. 

So he let the tie fighters onto a merry chase and whooped when Wex and Paiva hit their targets. He grinned when he heard Luke’s quiet murmur of satisfaction at his own hits aiming true. Namely on the dreadnoughts that were coming closer. He was hitting all the ports and paving the way for the carriers that were following right after. 

It wasn’t the most exciting dogfight that he’d ever been involved in, but Poe would take it. 

As much as he was glad he had Luke and Black Squadron Two fighting alongside him in such a crucial battle, he was still worried about the lives Luke carried within himself. It was the Alpha instincts that he couldn’t quite turn off. He knew that he had no right to demand Luke stay behind, but part of him wanted to do that. 

He did change his mind when Luke shot a fighter on his three o’clock. 

_ “Quit worrying about me and keep your head in the game, Dameron. I can’t afford to worry about your ass on top of everything!” _

Luke admonished him as he moved his fighter into position, leaving the way clear for Poe to get the money shot on the dreadnought.

_ “Fine and I’m sorry. I promise-On your eight o’clock!” _

Poe mentally shouted as the Tie fighter came out of hyperspace and clipped Luke’s fighter. 

_ “I got it! Do your job, Dameron!” _

Luke shouted, as he expertly got out of the way and shot the fighter down, moving to take care of the fighter with such smooth finesse that Poe’s worry was momentarily overshadowed by jealousy over his skill. He knew it was stupid to feel that way, since Luke had years on him in experience. But he still felt a bit of annoyance at seeing that move and knowing he too was going to try and do it. 

Next time, he promised himself as he got in position, waited for Bee Bee to give him the go ahead and shoot, and took it. 

He couldn’t help but to whoop with joy when it hit and the explosion that followed. 

A shot well made was always a cause for celebration. He’d make up the guilt of taking up a life later in a quiet, private time. 

“Alright! Get those carriers in place! We don’t have any time to waste!”

He gave his orders and flew off to take care of the other squadron of Tie fighters that had appeared. 

“ _ You heard the man! Go to it!” _

Wexley’s voice came over the comm, leaving him to do his work, which was protecting the carriers now that he had taken his shot. 

He stopped thinking and just focused on coldly and efficiently shot down any of the fighters that tried and failed to get close to the carriers. He kept an eye on them as they got closer to the dreadnought, but kept out of the way.

He already had gotten sniped at and rightly by Luke. He needed to keep his focus. There was no room for mistakes. 

_ “All in position, drop your load!” _

The carriers obeyed and the bombs dropped, obliterating the dreadnought and making everyone yell in victory. 

It was then that the last squadron arrived on Poe’s twelve o’clock and Luke’s three o’clock and fired with all that they had, catching Luke’s fighter and obliterating the wing in one go.

_ “NO!!” _

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kylo Ren’s head jerked up and he walked out from the bridge and into the hangar. 

He had felt the slight dimming of Luke’s life force as one of the X-wings spiralled down the surface of Hoth, but knew that a crash wasn’t going to deter or kill Luke Skywalker. 

He would be the one to do so. 

But he needed to get down there. 

“Mitaka! Take the bridge. I have things to take care of.”

He didn’t bother to wait for Mitaka’s reply. He only went to his customised tie fighter and took off to Hoth. 

It would all be decided there.

~*~*~*~*~

Rey’s eyes widened as she felt Luke’s Force move from space to the surface of Hoth. He didn’t feel strong as he always did, but it was strong enough. She was going to breathe a sigh of relief, but was stopped when she felt the darkness that followed Kylo Ren’s Force signature. 

Kylo Ren would kill Luke. 

Luke who was carrying Poe’s kits. 

He wouldn’t be able to hold him off. Not when the kits were feeding on his life force. 

He wouldn’t have the energy to fight with all he possibly could,

And she knew that it wasn’t his fate to do so. 

It was hers.

“Finn! I’m going in.”

~*~*~*~*~

Luke crawled out of the smoking X-wing, vaguely disoriented and bleeding from the temple. He quickly checked on the kits to make sure that they were well. To his relief, he could feel their consciousness like bright silver dots whenever he closed his eyes. 

He gave a small thanks to the Force that he and the kits were well and glad too that he had thought to pack cold weather gear if he had to crash land. He stood up and went to the compartment and pulled on the gear quickly. He shivered and sighed in relief at the warmth that seeped into him. 

He left his X-wing and murmured an apology to his mech, promising to fetch him back when he had the chance before making sure his lightsabre was clipped to his hip before he set off for the base. 

He had only made it halfway when he spotted the black fighter that he had seen only once before. The heaviness and darkness that followed Kylo Ren’s presence anywhere. He was here. 

And Luke was nothing but a sitting tooka.

He couldn’t fight. He was all too aware that if he expended any significant energy, he’d harm his children. Possibly even kill them and he was not going to take the chance. But he could only just defend himself against his nephew. 

He couldn’t outrun him either. He could see that as he watched Kylo Ren come towards him, the ridiculous black uniform flapping as he trudged through the snow in purposeful strides. His lightsabre already out in anticipation for the fight he wanted to have to end it all. 

Luke cursed and pulled out his lightsabre, determined to make one last stand and giving Poe and Leia a small apology that he wasn’t going to be able to come home as he had hoped that he would.

He ignited his sabre and braced himself, waiting for Kylo Ren to make the first move. 

Which he did, rushing towards him and screaming out the rage that never seemed to rest or leave him. 

Luke slipped into the old form and forced himself to wait, rather than to attack as much as he wanted to. He was nervous and afraid, but he held his ground. 

He closed his eyes briefly and pushed it all into the Force as his lightsabre crashed with Ren’s, forcing him back. 

He resisted and managed to push back, making Kylo Ren stumble. 

He came back on the attack, only to be stopped by Rey intercepting the hit and shoving him back with more force than even Luke had used. 

Kylo roared as he saw both of them standing there, his eyes going black as pitch and without any sanity to them.

“I will destroy the Jedi! I will end you both!”

He shrieked, his voice taking on an otherworldly pitch as he charged.

Rey turned her head minutely. 

“Go, Luke. It’s not your fight this time. It’s mine.”

Luke wanted to argue, but he felt and tasted the tinge of the Force in her words and heeded her words. 

He knew that it was not his fight any longer. He was only holding her place. 

Nodding, he powered his lightsaber off and shoved it in his belt. 

“May the Force be with you and good luck.”

She nodded and Luke didn’t hesitate and took off, wincing at the new aches that had sprung up from between the crash and the small clash he had just endured. 

He didn’t want to leave, but he knew he needed to be in the base. He had a feeling that if he didn’t get back, Poe and Hux would both personally hunt him down in the middle of battle as well. 

He had heard Poe’s stricken scream, but hadn’t had time to respond, since it had been as much of a surprise to him as it had been to Poe. He berated himself for that rookie mistake and promised that once Poe got back he was definitely doing something nice to apologize to him for calling him out and then doing the same thing he was calling him out for. 

Later. Right now, he needed to get into the warmth and face up to whatever Hux and his sister would say to him. 

~*~*~*~*~

Rey gritted her teeth as she and Ren circled each other around. This wasn’t like the last time they had met in a barren snow-laden wasteland. Or the last time that they had seen each other in the ruins of Snoke’s chambers. 

She had hoped, back then, that it wouldn’t need to come to this. That they could have reached some kind of agreement. That Ben would return and come back to the light. 

Except he hadn’t and he had destroyed countless of lives in his madness. Lives that she had personally heard return to the Force. 

Lives that had been altered irreparably because of his bad choices and refusal to let go of his warped ideals. Lives like Master Luke’s. And Armitage Hux’s. Despite them having salvaged something from the wreckage of their lives, she still couldn’t forgive Ben for being so obstinate and wilfully destructive. 

A mere child, despite being almost as old as Commander Dameron. 

No matter. It was all going to end here. 

And she was going to make sure that she would be the one standing. 

Without warning, she was the one that attacked first. 

A high thrust that he wasn’t expecting, despite parrying it easily, insolently, as if he was batting away a child’s hit. She tried again, doing a side sweep and forcing him to step back quickly, but not quickly enough, since his robes were sliced.

She didn’t gloat. She knew that she would have to follow up quickly. 

Which he did. 

It was a flurry of motion that she only had time to block, parry, block, but even then, she got singed and bruised until she was able to duck and sweep his feet out from under him. 

She got back on her feet fast and watched as he too, got to his feet, his eyes promising her death as he attacked without abandon once more. 

She knew he’d try to skewer her, to kill her in dirty moves as he had with the Praetorian guard.

That was why she had crafted her saber with a longer hilt and held it horizontally, releasing the second blade of her lightsabre. 

The blades shone an icy grey blue, making Kylo Ren flinch at the sight. It made Rey smile coldly at that. Without wasting anymore time, she attacked. 

He wasn’t used to this combat, stumbling back and only just being able to parry her blows. Still, he rushed towards her, both of them caught in a deadly game of give and take. Neither willing to give in. They continued until the snow beneath their feet was trampled down and sludgy pink. 

They both had scored hits on each other, careful blows that had brought grim smiles to her face and determined thin-lipped ones from him. He wasn’t bothering with the fancy footwork now. Both were flagging and they both were all too aware that the last clash would decide the winner. 

She was surprised that he wasn’t taunting her, or trying to undermine her. He was fighting as a man possessed and she knew that if she wasn’t careful, she would be dead.

Keeping this in mind, she pushed him off, giving herself enough space and time to center herself for the assault she knew would be the last. 

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a brief moment to find that small moment of peace that would tell her when to strike. She listened to the hum of the Force when it struck a high,pure chord, her eyes flew open. 

_ “Now!” _

She leapt off her feet, swinging her lightsabre in a tight controlled motion, making it spin in  a silvery blue circle that made it look like a solid arc was cutting through the air. 

Like a steel vibrablade she had seen once and just as deadly. 

She spun in a full circle and when she had stepped back to face him,

Or rather, what was left of him. 

The look on his face was one of surprise as his body collapsed and his head rolled off his shoulders and thumped onto the trampled and slushy snow underneath them.

She felt the darkness of his signature disappear and be absorbed into the Force.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she switched off her lightsabre. 

It was done.

~*~*~*~*~

He knew Rey had succeeded when he felt the blowback of Kylo Ren’s death.

Luke stumbled, nearly falling. He would have if Poe and Hux hadn’t been there to catch him. 

“We got you. It’s alright.”

Poe mumbled, while Luke nodded and clung to him, letting them take his weight and fuss all over him.

He knew that it was something he’d have to deal with until the kits were born. He was all too aware that was going to happen the moment he had entered the base and had gotten Poe swooping him up and double-checking him until he had been able to disentangle himself from him.

But not for long. 

“Don’t ever do that again!”

Poe had mumbled into his ear when he grabbed Luke and wouldn’t let him go. 

“I won’t. Not anymore. There’s no need for that.”

He assured Poe, who nodded back grimly. Although he wasn’t as strong as Luke, he had known. Kylo Ren’s death had reverberated in the Force loudly for anyone with even a bit of Force sensitivity to know.

Kylo Ren was gone. 

“It’s Rey. Open the doors.”

All of the base let out a collective cheer at her exhausted voice rang through all the comm channels.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Leia watched as their fighters dropped their last load and headed back, the First Order completely annihilated. Hux stood beside her, his expression stony and blank as he watched all of what he had worked for go down in flames. 

If it bothered him, he didn’t show it. He simply watched.

She watched and waited, knowing full well that the end was near the moment that she had felt the shockwaves of Kylo Ren’s death go through the Force. 

Later, she would grieve. Right now, she had a war to finish.

“General, we are being hailed.”

She nodded. She had been expecting this.

“Patch them through.”

In moments, the stark face of General Mitaka.

“General, You know why I am hailing you. Let us knot draw it out. The First Order gives unconditional surrender to the Resistance. We will accept any terms. You give us.”

General Leia inclined her head. 

“We accept.”


End file.
